Improvement in tunnels



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RicHARD FOLEY, or NEW YORK, N; Y., AssloNoR To vHIMSELR AND EDWINFERGUSON, oF TRE sA-M-E PLAGE;

Letters Patent llo. 67,035, dated July 23, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN TUNNBLS. A

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Y Be it known that I, RICHARD FOLEY, oi' thecity of New York, in thecounty and Sta-te of New York, have invented a new and-usefulImprovement in Tunnels; and I dohereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable thoseskilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanyingdrawing, forming part of this specification, in whichdrawing- Figure 1 is a cross-section of a tunnel made according to myinvention.

vFigure 2is a top view, part of the top being broken away to show theinterior.

Figure 3 is avportion of the transverse section, enlarged, showing themethod of constructing the tube.

Figure `fis a longitudinal section, containing a modification consistingof longitudinal arches.

Similar letters of reference indicate -corresponding parts. v

This invention consists in an improved method-of constructing -tunnelsfor the p assage of rivers, or for submarine purposes, so as to enablerailways, carriage-ways, and foot-ways to be continuedfrom one bank orshore to the opposite bank Aor 'shore, under water, withoutinterrupting-or being interrupted by, navigation. The tunnelconsists,'in general terms, of a tube of wrught iron made in sections ofconvenient length, said sections being built on shore and carriedor-oated to their` intended positions., The several sections are joinedtogether,-

after they are sunk, by a folding collar or other suitable vdevice,packed with rubber or other suitable compressible packing, to'preventleakage. -The width of the tube is suil'icient to admit of theconstruction therein of ysidewalks, railway tracks,-and a generalroadway for ordinary vehicles; The tube consists of an exterior andinterior skin of iron, of suitable strength,lunitetl to each other, andstrengthened against .pressure from within or without by ribs and angleirons, so as to form a structure of great strength and durability.

j, The letter 4designates the outer skin, and b the inner skin of thetunnel, arranged concentrically, as represented in fig. 1. The skins arecomposed 'ofplates of boiler iron, or other suitable material, rivetedtogether to form tubes, ivhich,in this example, are flattened so thattheir horizontal diameters are greater than vtheir vertical diameters,care being taken to give the greatest possible strength, by makingeverypart of the walls vof the structure of arched form-incross-section. By making the tunnel oval in shape, substantially asrepresented, I obtain a suit-ableA width. for providing a centralroad-way, with railroad tracks and sidewalks on the sides, Withoutmaking 'the structure too lweak to sustain the weight and pressure of.the water. The .strength of thematerials employed varies,of course,according to the depth of the water in which it is to be placed, and bymeans of my improvement I am able to combine the strength of the twoskins, so that they form a united structure of equal strength in all itsparts. The two skins orwalls are separated by parallel metallic ribs c,arranged lengthwise of the tubes,`said. ribsY being numerous enough tostiften the skins to any extent desired,

`and beingl united to them by angle irons d, riveted both to the ribsand skins, as clearly shown in the drawing,

andparticularly iig. 3l The lower edges of the ribs, and also of theangle irons, if necessary, are perforated as shown at e, g. 4, to allowmoisture, or water' derived from possible lcakages in the outer skin, torun down tothe lower part, of the tunnel, that is to say, to the partwhich is beneath the sewerf, into which such water escapes 'throughopenings g g, made at proper intervals through the inner skin b, whenceit can be taken out `by pumps. In the middle of the width of the tunnelI make la roadway, le, for carriages and wagons, and on either sidethereof is a railroad track, z'z', and between said tracks and the sidesof the tunnel are sidewalks for foot passengers, the railroad trackbeing elevated above the level of the roadway, and the sidewalksabovethe level of the tracks, in order to obtain the proper width forthem respectively. The-tunnel isstrengthened in vertical directions byrows of columns, jjjy', four in number in this example, and placed onthe -lines which separato the roadway, the tracks, and the' sidewalksfrom each other, at such distances apart as'the strength requireddemands. Additional columns may be provided if necessary or desirable,as, for instance, a row'f columns may be placed midway of the centralroadway. The tops ot' the columns are connected by transverse arches,which arc connected to or come against the roof of the tunnel, as isshown in fig. 1. In lig. 4 I'have'also shown a modification consistingof longitudinal arches, which extend likewise from columns. The sectionsof the tube are built at convenient points on the shores of the water orchannel to be crossed, and are closed by temporary cross 2Y water-tightbulk-heads, 7c of the proper strength, a portion of the bulk-head of oneend of the sections, or of both ends if desired, being made transparent,as shown at Z, to enable the workmen stationed in any section which hasbeen laid and emptied of water to see the section which is being laidnext thereto, and to guide the workmen in charge by means of telegraphicor other signals. The enter end of each section is surrounded by acollar, 'nn-which has hinges u 'n at or about the ends of the line ofits greatest diameter. The upper side oll the collar is in two parts,whose ends are turned up into lips O, which are united by 'a screw orscrews in such a manner as to bind the collar in its place. The lowerpart or half of said collar surrounds or embraces the under side of thetunnel, to which it lis connected by any suitable device, such, forexample, as a screw going through an elongated slot iu the collar, toallow the part whichis beneath the tunnel to adjust itself thereto whenthe lips O are closed by their screw. The collar projects beyond theedge of the section to which it is attached, so as to allow the adjacentedge of the next section to enter within said collar, whereby the jointbetween the 4sections becomes covered and surrounded by the collar. Anysuitable flexible packing is used between the collar and the sections tomake the joint water-tight. I have not shown such packing, because it isa familiar device, and I do not lay claim thereto. The bulk-heads areprovided with a valve or valves, which are controlled from above bysuitable levers, rods, or other devices.

When asection is to be put in place-on the bottom of a river, or waterchannel, or other place, after being sutlicicntly ballasted, and itsbulk-heads being made water-tight, it is floated or carried to theproper position above its intended location on the bottom, and the valveor valves ot its bulk-hcad are opened to admit water and cause it tosink to the bottom, its course being guided with the aid of diving-bellsor other devices for conducting submarine operations. The shore sectionsare laid in excavations made for them,andth`e end which projects into oris next the water has a window or transparent pla-te in its bulk-headthrough which the persons in charge observe the position f the sectionnext beyond, so that they can, by signals, direct those persons who areengaged in laying such outer section. When the latter is in place, sothat its end is within and is covered by `collar m, the joint betweenthe twoseetions, for additional security against leakage, may be coveredor closed from within by an internal collar, packed by ordinary flexiblecompressible packing, When the section last laid is properly connected'to the end of the shore section, the valves are closed, the waterpumped out, and the inner bulk-head is removed. In this manner the wholeseries of sections required for the width o't a river or water channelis laid, the inner end of each section being opened after it is laid,until the whole tube or tunnel `is open and ballasted. The tracks,roadway, and sidewalks, and other internal arrangements, are then readyto be made, and the tunnel supplied with necessary pipes for gas, water,and also air pipes for ventilation. The tunnel is preserved fromcorrosion or rust by any suitable coating, or by marine cement, whichmay be ofsuch a character or composition as will aid in closing thejoints of the outer skin. Such coating or composition is not heredescribed, because it is proposed to make'it the subject of a sepa-rateapplication for Letters Patent.- Sheets of zinc may, ifdesircd, beplaced on the bottom surface of the tunnel, at such distances as may bedeemed sufficient to prevent corrosion, the same being applied beforethe tube is launched, and to be renewed as often as necessary. It isde'sirablo, in carrying outmy invention successfully, to remove abruptplaces', and bring the bottom, where the crossing-is to be effected, toa level condition, by dredging or other means.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The construction and arrangement of a tunnel, when composed of anouter and inner skin or lining of metal, supported in position by meansof the angle-iron ribs, in the manner and for the purpose hereindescribed.

2. The construction and arrangement of a tunnel as herein described,when made in sections, which are united and held in position by thecollar m,which overlaps the ends of the adjoining sections, in themanner and for the purpose herein described. j

3. The construction and arrangement of the sewer f, when used incombination with a tunnel, in the manner and for the purpose hereindescribed.

RICHARD FOLEY.

y Witnesses:

Gno. T. FERGUSON, W. HAUFF.

